DOI: https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2009.138
Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/167
Date of Award
9-2009
Degree Name
MS in Aerospace Engineering
Department/Program
Aerospace Engineering
Advisor
Eric A. Mehiel
Abstract
This thesis describes the models of four common orbital propagators and outlines the process of integrating them into the Horizon Simulation Framework (HSF). The results of the Two-Body, J2, and J4 propagators from the HSF are then compared against the outcomes of these propagators in MATLAB and Satellite Toolkit (STK). The MATLAB algorithms verify the functionality of the propagators and determine the accuracy of the HSF implementation. The compassion against STK validates the formulation of the HSF propagators. In order to equip the HSF with a more precise means of orbit determination, adding the Simplified General Perturbations 4 (SGP4) propagator to the HSF has been the principal goal of this project. A brief description of the algorithm explains the process of configuring the original code into a format compatible with the HSF. Further, the orbital data from the SGP4 propagator across different implementations are examined. The outcomes demonstrate that the HSF algorithm generates reasonably accurate orbital data.